April 21, 2010
A Neighborhood Braces for an Influx of Parolees
...This year, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will cut $250 million in funding for adult rehabilitation programs, including $50 million for parole operations. Places like the Freedom House are among the casualties of the state's cuts, which refocus limited resources on parolees with a higher risk of recidivism.
But the majority of inmates set to be released under the state's plan to reduce its prison population will be low-risk offenders. The state plans to reduce its prison population by 6,500 in the next year and as many as 40,000 in years to come under a program known as non-revocable parole. They will not be supervised by parole officers.
As a result, service providers say, those parolees will lose eligibility for programs like the California New Start program, which helps parolees find jobs. A parole officer's referral is required...
LINK - VoiceofSanDiego.org
